Throughout much of our lives, we interact with others through communication. Whether it’s texting someone on the phone, speaking to someone face-to-face, or teaching someone in the classroom, communication is integral in processing new information and helping hone our skills. While communication can have various advantages to us as individuals, it’s also known for having had a myriad of benefits to organizations.
Many businesses and non-profit organizations will have to rely on communication to ensure that daily operations remain unabated and productivity is maximized. Since we live in an age where the use of data and information can help organizations get an advantage over competitors, many companies and businesses have emphasized communication since this will play a major role in how this information is being catered towards different elements of the organization.
Although communication might seem like one of the most basic things that organizations should prioritize, most businesses overlook communications as an integral aspect of their organization. In fact, a study shows that 96% of people believe that the firms that they actively deal with can improve their communications infrastructure and project management system. At the same time, most employees find it annoying that they have to repeat information when working with other businesses.
The Pandemic and Communication
In the past year, the recent COVID-19 pandemic caused various changes to how much we communicate and interact. Since most of us aren’t able to communicate and exchange information face-to-face, many organizations have migrated towards a digital platform as a means of maintaining communication and business continuity. However, the problem here is that the usual form of communication that individuals are used to is disrupted. Most employees and organizational members will need to adapt to newer ways of communicating with others.
That said, maintaining a steady communication infrastructure is essential in ensuring that your organization remains in an operational condition. So what are some crucial ways of maintaining communications? Here’s what you’ll need to know.
Establishing Your Objectives
First and foremost, one of the most important parts of maintaining a communication infrastructure is first setting up your long-term and short-term goals and the objectives of your organization. The first step in this matter is considering your community’s bandwidth and how the information will be disseminated to your organization’s personnel.
Most of the time, the planning phase will ultimately depend on your organizations’ intentions and what you’re planning on doing. But in most cases, communication is divided into the following levels:
- Level 1 — Characterized by spreading the word, providing updates, releasing memos through newsletters, posters, social media posts, etc.
- Level 2 — Encourage elements of the organization to make decisions
- Level 3 — Community-wide announcements
- Level 4 — Carrying out plans and strategies
Using a Responsive Network
One of the most important things in maintaining a strong line of communication between each member of the organization is using a strong and responsive network that everyone can use for communication. When it comes to how information is being disseminated, every single level of the organization needs to be aware of events and happenings so that it’s easier to process information.
Although many organizations will use social media platforms to bridge communication gaps, this can sometimes be a problem in privacy, especially since most social media platforms are public.
That said, you’ll need to have a secure network that the organization can use for communication. This will help keep the information confidential, but this can also ensure security for your users. Many communications networks are specifically catered to private groups and organizations, such as Slack and Discord. Some project management applications offer ways of communicating and handling projects.
Still, it’s essential to document your interactions in many of these communications networks, such as Slack. For example, if you’re looking for ways of gaining information from your users and monitoring Slack for compliance, some businesses offer Slack DLP compliance guides. This is an excellent way of having better collaboration in these networks.
Knowing Your Community
One of the essential factors that you’ll need to consider when it comes to communication is knowing what’s currently happening in your community. A part of good communication is through engaging with others online. To do this, you’ll need to be consistent with your communication process. Not only will this ensure that there’s better collaboration, but organizations will be able to respond to problems quickly.
As you can see, there are a variety of ways of maintaining continuous communication for your organization. Although it might be a bit daunting migrating towards digital platforms, especially for most individuals who are not used to it, it’s still necessary. Maintaining a consistent communications network can yield a variety of advantages.
